Hands free dog leash

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for restraining an animal includes a belt capable of being worn about the torso of a person. The belt has interior and exterior surfaces. A slide member formed from a length of flexible substantially non-stretchable material has two ends secured to the exterior surface of the belt. A slide member extends along a substantial length of the exterior surface of the belt in adjacent parallel relationship to the belt. A coupling member is slidably mounted along the slide member. The apparatus includes a lead having proximal and distal ends with respect to the person&#39;s torso. The distal end is securable to the animal and the proximal end is securable to the coupling member. Sliding of the coupling member along the slide member allows the lead to slide a substantial distance relative to the belt so that the animal can move a substantial distance about the person.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/987,358, filed on Dec. 9, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,444, and U.S.Design application Ser. No. 29/080,418, filed on Dec. 9, 1997, now U.S.Pat. No. D407866, which claim the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/032,476, filed on Dec. 9, 1996, the entire teachingsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People walking or jogging with their dog often restrain the dog with ahand-held leash. Such a leash can be inconvenient for both the personand the dog, especially when jogging. Shifting of the dog from side toside forces the person jogging to constantly switch the leash from handto hand. This can break the rhythm of the person jogging particularlywhen the dog attempts to cross in front of that person. A hand-heldleash can also be stressful on the dog since the natural swinging of aperson's arms while jogging can suddenly jerk and pull on the dog'scollar. In situations where a person walks a dog while pushing a babystroller, the person will sometimes tie the hand-held leash to thestroller. Although this frees the person's hands to push the stroller,it can be a safety hazard, especially if the dog becomes agitated andattempts to suddenly run.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus which allows a personwalking or jogging his/her animal (usually a dog) to restrain the animalwhile at the same time keeping both hands free. The apparatus includes abelt capable of being worn about the torso of a person. The belt hasinterior and exterior surfaces. A slide member formed from a length offlexible substantially non-stretchable material has two ends secured tothe exterior surface of the belt. The slide member extends along asubstantial length of the exterior surface of the belt in adjacentparallel relationship to the belt. A coupling member is slidably mountedalong the slide member. The apparatus includes a lead having proximaland distal ends with respect to the person's torso. The distal end ofthe lead is securable to the animal and a proximal end is securable tothe coupling member. Sliding of the coupling member along the slidemember allows the lead to slide a substantial distance relative to thebelt so that the animal, attached to the lead, can freely move asubstantial distance about the person while still being restrained.

In preferred embodiments, the slide member is a flexible flat fabricstrap having a moment of inertia sufficient to prevent substantialsagging. The slide member extends along about one-half the exteriorsurface of the belt such that the coupling member and lead can slidealong the slide member for an arc of about 180° around the belt. Thebelt further includes a quick release buckle for securing the beltaround the person's torso and an adjustment member for adjusting thelength of the belt. Reflective material is located on the exteriorsurface of the slide member enabling the user to be seen by drivers atnight. Rubber stitching is provided on the interior surface of the beltfor preventing the belt from slipping during use.

The present invention apparatus allows a person to restrain an animal ina hands free manner while at the same time enabling the animal to movebehind the person from one side to the other. This enables therestrained animal to choose between traveling along either side of theperson or following behind the person. The present invention promotesproper training for dogs because the dog must keep pace with the personwhile traveling behind or beside the person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a person jogging while restraining a dogwith the present invention dog leash.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the dog restrained by the present inventionleash with the belt buckled together.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention leash with the beltunbuckled.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the inner surfaces of the belt with the beltunbuckled.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another preferred lead.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a dog 15 is restrained by presentinvention dog leash 10. Leash 10 includes a belt 12 which is worn aboutthe waist of a person 11 and a lead 14 for securing to dog 15. The lead14 is slidably coupled to the belt 12 at one end and secured to thecollar 15a of the dog 15 at the other end. Belt 12 includes a flexiblewaistband 12a which is coupled together with a quick release buckle 24.Buckle 24 has a male portion 24b secured to one end of waistband 12a anda female portion 12a secured to the other end of waistband 12a. Twoself-locking adjustment members 22 are positioned on opposite sides ofbuckle 24 for adjusting the length of waistband 12a. A flexible outersliding band 20 is secured at its ends 20a to waistband 12a and extendsalong about half the length of waistband 12a in close adjacentrelationship with waistband 12a. A sliding ring 26 is slidably mountedalong sliding band 20 for slidably coupling lead 14 to belt 12. Lead 14consists of a flexible strap 14a with spring loaded quick releaseconnectors 16 and 13 positioned at opposite ends of lead 14. The quickrelease connectors 16 and 13 allow lead 14 to be releasably coupled tosliding ring 26 on belt 12 and to collar 15a on the dog 15.

In use, belt 12 is secured to the human user's 11 waist by insertingmale portion 24b of buckle 24 into the female portion 24a. If waistband12a does not fit properly, the length of waistband 12a can be adjustedwith adjustment members 22. Belt 12 is worn with buckle 24 in front andthe sliding band 20 in the rear. The distal end of lead 14 is secured tothe collar 15a worn by dog 15 with quick release connector 13. Theproximal end of lead 14 is then connected to sliding ring 26 on belt 12by quick release connector 16. Once the lead 14 is secured to belt 12,the user can walk or jog without having to hold a dog leash in the hand.This allows the user to push a carriage, hold hand weights or carryitems while walking or running with the dog 15. Sliding band 20 extendsat least halfway around belt 12 such that the dog 15 can travel alongeither side of the user as well as move behind the user to shift fromone side of the user to the other side. When dog 15 moves around theuser, sliding ring 26 is pulled along sliding band 20 by lead 14 and cantravel from one end 20a of sliding band 20 to the other end 20a. Sincethe dog 15 either follows behind or to the side of the user, there islittle chance that the dog 15 will cross in front of the user causingthe user to break stride or trip. In addition, it is proper dog trainingtechnique for the dog to follow the master rather than to lead.

A more detailed description of the present invention now follows.Waistband 12a is preferably formed of nylon strap material 2 incheswide. At this width, the waistband 12a does not dig into the waist ofthe user when dog 15 pulls on lead 14 and at the same time does notrestrict the user's freedom of movement. Although a quick release buckle24 is preferably used, other suitable methods of securing belt 12 aboutthe waist can be employed such as standard style belt buckles, cam lockbuckles etc. When a standard style or cam lock buckle is employed,adjustment members 22 are not necessary.

Sliding band 20 is formed from substantially nonstretchable nylon strapmaterial. Sliding band 20 is sewn to waistband 12a at opposite ends 20aof sliding band 20 and extends along about half the length of waistband12a in adjacent parallel relationship. Sliding band 20 is preferablyabout 19 inches long, 1 inch wide and 0.08 inches thick. Alternatively,the length of sliding band 20 can differ depending upon the size of theuser's waist. In either case, the ends 20a of sliding band 20 should belocated on opposite sides of the waist. The region of sliding band 20between ends 20a is not secured to waistband 12a but instead is in loosecontact with waistband 12a. This allows sliding ring 26 and lead 14 toslide around waistband 12a about 180° before being stopped at sewn ends20a allowing dog 15 to travel to either side of the user (FIG. 2). Theclose relationship of sliding band 20 with waistband 12a as well asbeing made of substantially nonstretchable material allows sliding ring26 to slide smoothly between sliding band 20 and waistband 12a along theentire length of sliding band 20. In some situations, sliding ring 26 isin contact with sliding band 20 and waistband 12 both at the same timewhile sliding along sliding band 20. The smooth movement of sliding ring26 helps prevent the dog 15 from jerking the user off balance andreduces stress on the dog's neck. In addition, positioning sliding band20 closely against waistband 12a prevents sliding band 20 from beingtangled with the users clothing or from bouncing against the user whenrunning.

By having the edge 20b of sliding band 20 facing upwardly, the areamoment of inertia for the sliding band 20 is much higher than if theflat surface of sliding band 20 were to face upwardly. This providessliding band 20 with structural rigidly in the vertical direction toprevent the sliding band 20 from sagging. The moment of inertia ofsliding band 20 in the preferred embodiment is preferably about 0.007in⁴. The adjacent relationship of sliding band 20 to waistband 12aprevents sliding band 20 from twisting so that edge 20b always facesupwardly. A reflective material is preferably sewn to the outer surfaceof sliding band 20 so that the user can be seen by cars at night.Although sliding band 20 is preferably flat, sliding band 20 can alsohave a circular cross section such as with rope. Sliding ring 26 ispreferably a circular steel ring with a 1 inch diameter, butalternatively, can have other suitable shapes, for example, oval or "D"shaped, or can be made of other suitable materials such as other metalsor plastic. In addition, although the reflective material is preferablylocated on sliding band 20, alternatively, the reflective material canbe located on the waistband 12a, buckle 24 or lead 14, individually orin combination.

Lead 14 is preferably formed from 1 inch wide nylon strap material 14abetween about 4 and 5 feet long. Quick release connectors 16 and 13 eachhave a closed loop portion 16a and 13a which are secured to the lead 14.Quick release connectors 16 and 13 each also have a openable portion 16band 13b for securing to the sliding ring 26 and the dog collar 15a.Openable portions 16b and 13b consist of an open hook with a springloaded sliding pin for closing the hook. Alternatively, other suitablecommercially available quick release connectors can be employed. Theproximal end of lead 14 includes a loop 18 enabling the user to holddirectly onto lead 14 for better control of the dog. Loop 18 alsoenables lead 14 to be employed as a conventional dog leash. Stitching 17secures quick release connector 16 to lead 14 and forms loop 18.Although a quick release connector 16 and a loop 18 are preferablyemployed at the proximal end of lead 14, alternatively, quick releaseconnector 16 and loop 18 can be omitted with lead 14 being secureddirectly to sliding ring 26.

Referring to FIG. 4, the inner surface of waistband 12a preferably has aweb 28 of rubber stitch material 28a secured thereon. The web 28 isglued to waistband 12a and sewn at the ends. The rubber stitch material28a helps prevent waistband 12a from slipping on the user's waist whenthe dog 15 moves about, even on slippery clothing made of materials suchas nylon. It is important for waistband 12a not to slip so that therestraint points of ends 20a on sliding band 20 do not become altered.If the waistband 12a slips enough, the dog 15 can travel in front of theuser, possibly tripping the user. In addition, if the user is running, adog straining on lead 14 in front of the user can easily pull the useroff balance. In the preferred embodiment, web 28 is about 11/4 incheswide and 19 inches long. Web 28 has four rows of rubber stitching 28a.Each row of rubber stitching 28a is three stitches wide. Alternatively,the rubber stitching 28a can be applied directly onto the inner surfaceof waistband 12a. In addition, more than four rows or less than fourrows of rubber stitching 28a can be employed. Furthermore, regions ofrubber stitching 28a can be applied intermittently along waistband 12a.

Referring to FIG. 5, lead 30 is another preferred lead for coupling tosliding ring 26 of belt 12. Lead 30 differs from lead 14 in that aself-locking adjustment member 34 is included at the proximal end ofstrap 32 for adjusting the length of lead 30. The adjustment member 34also forms a loop 36 similar to loop 18 on lead 14. The size of loop 36changes as the length of lead 30 is adjusted. Quick release connector 16is slidably secured to loop 36 to compensate for changes in the size ofloop 36. Quick release connector 13 is secured to the distal end of lead30 by a loop 38 of elastic material. Elastic loop 38 is secured to strap32 by stitching 40 and reduces shock to the human user as well as on thedog's 15 neck when dog 15 suddenly jerks on lead 30. Without elasticloop 38, such jerking can cause the human user to lose his/her balanceor cause the dog to experience stress on its neck. Although elasticmaterial is preferably located at the distal end of lead 30,alternatively, a length of elastic material can be located anywherealong lead 30 for absorbing shock.

EQUIVALENTS

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the artwill recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routineexperimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of theinvention described specifically herein. Such equivalents are intendedto be encompassed in the scope of the claims.

For example, although waistband 12a, sliding band 20 and lead 14 arepreferably made of nylon strap material, alternatively, other suitablelight weight flexible materials can be used such as other fabrics,natural leather, synthetic leather, etc. In addition, although thepresent invention is preferably for use with dogs, alternatively, it canbe used with other animals such as cats or even used for children.Furthermore, although specific dimensions have been described for thepresent invention leash, alternatively, the actual dimensions can varyto accommodate different sized human users.

What is claimed is:
 1. A restraining apparatus comprising:a belt capableof being worn about the torso of a first mammal, the belt havinginterior and exterior surfaces, a slide member formed from a length offlexible material having two ends secured to the exterior surface of thebelt, the slide member extending along a substantial length of theexterior surface of the belt in adjacent parallel relationship to thebelt, a coupling member being slidably mounted along the slide member;and a lead having proximal and distal ends with respect to the firstmammal torso, the distal end being securable to a second mammal and theproximal end being securable to the coupling member, sliding of thecoupling member along the slide member allowing the lead to slide asubstantial distance relative to the belt so that the second mammal canmove a substantial distance about the first mammal.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1 in which the slide member comprises a flat fabric strap having amoment of inertia sufficient to prevent substantial sagging.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 in which the slide member extends along aboutone-half the exterior surface of the belt.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3in which the coupling member is capable of sliding along the slidemember around the belt for an arc of about 180°.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1 in which the lead includes a section of elastic material forabsorbing shock from movements of the animal.
 6. The apparatus of claim1 in which the lead includes an adjustment member for adjusting thelength of the lead.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the beltfurther comprises a quick release buckle.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 inwhich the belt further comprises an adjustment member for adjusting thelength of the belt.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprisingreflective material located on the slide member.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising rubber material located on the interiorsurface of the belt for preventing the belt from slipping during use.11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the rubber material is rubberstitching.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the rubber stitchingis mounted to the interior surface of the belt.
 13. A method ofrestraining comprising the steps of:securing a belt about the torso of afirst mammal, the belt having interior and exterior surfaces, a slidemember formed from a length of flexible material having two ends securedto the exterior surface of the belt, the slide member extending along asubstantial length of the exterior surface of the belt in adjacentparallel relationship to the belt, a coupling member being slidablymounted along the slide member; providing a lead having proximal anddistal ends with respect to the first mammal's torso; securing thedistal end of the lead to a second mammal; and securing the proximal endof the lead to the coupling member, sliding of the coupling member alongthe slide member allowing the lead to slide a substantial distancerelative to the belt so that the second mammal can move a substantialdistance about the first mammal.